alexis joy hagestad

Pest Control: 1300 Pixels explores the relationship between humans and non-human species, particularly bats. Bats use sound to help them hunt; they emit high-frequency sound waves and listen for their echoes to determine the distance between themselves and their prey a process called echolocation.  This video comprises 1,300 digital pixels that combine to form one image. Bat echolocation is applied to manipulate the photograph’s pixels. 

In 2006, a deadly fungus known as Pseudogymnoascus destructans, or white-nose syndrome, began decimating bat colonies across the United States. This decline in bat populations led to increased pesticide use as farmers lost their natural pest control. A recent study published in Science associated this rise in pesticide application with a nearly 8% increase in infant mortality, resulting in over 1,300 additional child deaths. This research highlights a connection between the decline of an animal species and human health, underscoring the ecological value of bats within our ecosystem.

Within this video, bat echolocation is used to edit photographic pixels. After assigning a bat to each image pixel, post-production editing software incorporates their echolocation, influencing the shadows, highlights, and contrast. As the bats chirp, their calls transform the pixels of the original image file, making them active editors of the original image. By allowing these bats to guide the editing process, they became collaborators. After applying echolocation data to 1,300 pixels, the final image transforms into a video grid made from puzzle-like pieces; without each pixel, the whole image would not exist.

Pest Control: 1300 Pixels examines animals' potential perspective and intelligence, highlighting how understanding this perspective can contribute to maintaining the delicate balance of the Earth’s ecosystems.